“I don’t want to get anyone in trouble,” she admitted.
“You won’t, darling. If anyone gets reprimanded, it will be their own doing.” I squeezed her to me and kept kissing every inch of her skin until we both found ourselves fast asleep, tired from our travels.
The last couple of days felt like we were still on our honeymoon. Granted, we had a little work to deal with and discuss, but the rest of the time Garrett was entirely devoted to showing me a good time.
I’d started out today making a small complaint about how some of my clothes didn’t fit and he was quick to have several racks of maternity wear brought over so I could shop. Of course, when his family and Grace found out I would be trying on some new clothes, everyone rushed over and it became a “Let’s dress the pregnant woman” party. I had to admit, I did enjoy some of their opinions, since Garrett’s only objections were anything that covered too much of my growing cleavage. Men!
The outfits were amazing. I managed to get a wide variety of things that could grow with me during the course of the pregnancy. There were several business-style dresses and suits, many casual dresses, some everyday wear, nightgowns and even clothes I could kick back and relax in. I wasn’t due until the beginning of May, so I was very happy to avoid the concept of a bathing suit for now, but knowing Garrett, he’d have me in a bikini of some sort, belly and all. So not happening!
It didn’t take long for the rest of the Waters crew, along with my brother and Freddie, to find their way over to the penthouse. Deidre began cooking up a storm, enough to feed an army. I couldn’t thank her enough for watching out for all of us. She and the security team were growing on me, feeling more of an extension of family. Now if I could just get them to start calling me Laurel instead of Mrs. Waters or ma’am, which makes me feel old.
“So, how was the honeymoon? Did you bring us back any souvenirs?” Grace was straight to the point as Garrett regaled everyone with stories of our trip.
I slipped a small package into her hands and watched as she opened it. It was a Christmas ornament with a beach scene and the words “Virgin Islands” written across it.
“Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, cuz. I love it!” Grace hugged me several times after receiving her gift.
I had to admit there were so many options of what to get at the stores that I decided to go with something reasonable, even buying us one for our first Christmas tree, which was now standing by the staircase, with lights already on it, ready to be decorated. When did he get all this done? It wasn’t here this morning.
I looked around, realizing the whole place had been transformed with holiday decorations while I’d been playing dress-up with the girls.
Garrett came up behind the sofa where I was sitting, leaning down to give me a kiss on the cheek. “Do you like it, darling? We’re only a week away from Christmas and I know you wanted to do all the decorating yourself, but I didn’t want to stress you out. I did ask that the tree be reserved for you to decorate as you desire. If there’s anything you don’t like, we can get other decorations.”
I placed my palm on the side of his face so I could turn it and give him a gentle kiss on the lips. “It’s beautiful. A little fancier than I’m used to, but I love it.” It truly was breathtaking. The penthouse was transformed into a cross between a winter wonderland and a Christmas explosion of red, dark green, burgundy, and gold throughout.
I was lost in thought when Olivia asked, “Have you started planning for the nursery?”
I shook my head. “We’ve talked about it and discussed a few potential names while on our honeymoon, but we haven’t had the time to do anything yet.”
Garrett cleared his throat and smiled.
“You didn’t!” I admonished.
He took my hand and walked me up the stairs; everyone else followed. He reached the bedroom door next to ours and opened. To say I was stunned was an understatement. The walls were newly painted a pale green and covered with murals from various locations from our honeymoon.
I stepped into the room carefully, my hand over my mouth, trying to hide the fact that I was in shock. To one side of the room was a crib with nautical bedding and a mural of his yacht docked at St. Lucia. To the other side was a matching crib with beach themed bedding and a mural of the island we stayed on in the Seychelles.
A side wall was filled with a bookshelf holding several children’s books and some stuffed animals, along with a couple of rockers and ottomans. Behind it was a scene from our time spent at the winery, along with a stuffed koala and kangaroo. When did he manage to pick these up?
I sat down carefully in a rocker as everyone looked around, awestruck by the beauty of our nursery.
“Do you like it, Laurel?” he asked. “If you don’t, I can have the contractors come back in and redo everything.”
I nodded, my eyes full of tears. “I love it, but not as much as I love you for doing all of this for me.”
He knelt down by the rocker, smiling. “Then I might suggest you look up.” He pointed towards the ceiling and my jaw nearly hit the ground. There, for the babies to stare at, was a painted mural of us hand in hand on the beach, from our wedding, with waves lapping at the shore in the background.
Now I was crying my eyes out.
“Darling, what’s wrong? You want me to get them to remove the portrait on the ceiling?”
I shook my head, trying to form a coherent sentence. I watched as everyone left the room so we could be alone for a moment.
“Talk to me, please, love,” he implored.
“It’s too beautiful! This whole pregnancy has scared the crap out of me, but after seeing all this and how much you want our children, I finally feel at peace. You’ve created a little piece of our heaven here in this room. I don’t know if I’ll ever want to leave it,” I finally admitted. I threw my arms around Garrett’s neck and hugged him as though my life depended on it. Then I pulled back. “When did you manage to get all of this done?”
“I didn’t want you to stress out over anything and I wasn’t certain you’d be happy with me going ahead with some of the purchases, but they started two days after we left on our honeymoon. While we were away, I had Thompson send back some of the pictures that I felt reflected best what we admired about each of our honeymoon locations. I thought a nautical theme seemed fitting, since we both adore the water and the beach so much. Plus, it would work with either a boy or a girl.”
He stopped talking, waiting for a response from me, before finally asking, “Are you mad that I went ahead with this?”
My hand reached up to caress the side of his face and run through the longer locks of his hair. “No, darling, it’s perfect.”
He smiled before his mouth landed on top of mine, kissing me passionately. “We should probably rejoin the others downstairs,” he finally said, pulling back. “I didn’t know what kind of clothes to buy, so you’ll have some more shopping on your hands.”
I looked forward to spending some time with my sisters and mother-in-law to shop for some new clothes, until Garrett added, “I’ll have a couple of the stores bring over samples and some catalogs so you can shop from home.”
I know my face looked defeated, but he quickly remedied that. “As long as Chase and Walt are on the loose, I want to take every precaution to protect you. You’re not to leave this penthouse or work unless you’re with me or you have at least two members of security with you.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. I knew I was pitching a little bit of a hissy fit, but felt like I was being overwhelmed, all by some crazy lunatics who couldn’t get their crap together. “Fine. You win.”
He pulled me close to his chest, where I could hear his heartbeat. “I know you’re miserable. I am too. But it’s for our own safety. Try imagining life as you know it, but without my presence anymore.”
I started to shake and cry in his arms. I didn’t like him talking to me that way. A life without him in it wasn’t much of a life at all. I’d come to depend so much on Ga
rrett that it would be like ripping my heart from my body.
“Shh. It’s okay, I’m here, darling. I didn’t mean to make you cry, but I wanted you to see and feel my standpoint on things. Life to me would cease to exist if you weren’t a part of mine. That’s why I’m taking all the extra precautions.”
We finally rejoined everyone downstairs just in time for dinner. Everyone ate heartily and we talked about all the amazing sights we’d seen and the adventures we had swimming with the whale sharks, hiking, and taking various tours.
Jonathan and Harris asked to speak with Garrett about work over a game of billiards. Donny and Freddie were invited to join in or stay with us women talking about pregnancy cravings, honeymoons, and shopping. I had to laugh because I’ve never seen my brother and Freddie leave a room so fast.
We were sitting around discussing my strange cravings and comparing them to Olivia’s, when she was pregnant with Jonathan and Sarah, when the men returned. Garrett seemed to be wearing a false smile, while the other men all had very foreboding looks. Something was troubling all of them and I wanted to know what. When they spotted me, they all tried to cheer up and put on a smile, but something definitely felt off. Even Grace looked at me with a curious glance and a raised eyebrow.
I tried asking Garrett why everyone seemed miserable after a game of pool, but he wouldn’t budge, no matter how hard I begged. Something was definitely off, you could just feel it. Did something go wrong at work? Were the Petersons giving us more problems? Were there other issues he was trying to protect me from? Maybe once everyone left, I could get the information out of him.
The night seemed to never end, and I finally fell asleep on Garrett’s shoulder while we talked to everyone in the family room. I heard Harris whisper, “I’m sorry we’ve overstayed our welcome. We should’ve realized she needs her rest. Keep us informed of the situation and know that we’ll keep our security close at hand. We want those bastards caught just as much as you do.”
The footsteps and words grew fainter as I felt myself being lifted from the sofa and whisked upstairs to bed. Garrett laid me gently on the pillows, taking great care to take off my shoes, before placing my feet under the covers and pulling the sheets around me.
“What bastards were they talking about?” I asked wearily.
“The Petersons, my love. Now go back to sleep and I’ll join you in a couple of hours. I have some business to attend to before I go to bed.”
He kissed me lightly on the forehead and turned off the lamp by my bedside before I was lost to slumber.
The next day I tried to get Garrett to reveal what he had spoken to the men about. I knew it had to do with something regarding Walt and/or Chase, but he wouldn’t give even an inch. Something had spooked the hell out of him, though, and I wanted to know what it was so I could comfort him.
No amount of begging or pleading worked. Garrett would always say, “It’s just work, darling. I need to get some contracts renegotiated and several items finalized.”
His words had me so distracted that I nearly forgot about my appointment to check on the babies. Thompson had brought the SUV around so Garrett and I could easily get off at the elevator and right into the vehicle.
The appointment went wonderfully. The doctors were happy with my energy levels, the amount of weight I’d gained, and how my blood sugars were doing. We had another ultrasound done to see if we could get any idea as to whether we were expecting identical or fraternal twins.
I was thankful that they had grown enough that the regular ultrasound across the tummy could be used. I wasn’t a big fan of having that stupid wand go up my private area; it just felt funky. I knew the babies would be coming out that direction, but I preferred my nether regions reserved for my husband only.
The babies had grown enough that you could make out two distinctive little beings, full of spunk, moving their arms and legs all about. Garrett was mesmerized by the screen and nearly squeezed my hand in two. “They’re so happy in their mommy’s womb that they’re dancing,” he enthused.
“So are they identical or fraternal?”
“They’re fraternal twins.”
My mind instantly went to all the various possibilities. I could be having two daughters, two sons, or one of each. “When can we know what their gender is?”
“Laurel, I don’t want to know,” Garrett jumped in. “I’d rather wait and be surprised.”
Great, this was going to be our first argument as husband and wife. “But how can we shop for them and buy clothes if we don’t know their gender?”
“We can always have our personal shopper select the items last minute,” he tried to persuade me.
We went back and forth on it for almost five minutes before the doctors interjected and stated our appointment was done. I was to continue to report my sugar levels to Dr. Chadler; Deborah would modify my dietary needs as my pregnancy continued. I would continue to take my prenatal vitamins and iron supplements and be seen back in two weeks, pending everything continued as planned. Since I’d had an issue with the iron deficiency, they decided to see me more frequently to monitor my progress.
I conceded on waiting to find out the sex of our children, which made Garrett smile for the first time in a couple of days. He gave me a quick peck on the cheek and proceeded to his office, while I went next door to mine and we dove into the deep piles of emails, paperwork, and sketches that had been left for us.
Several months passed without any problems from the Petersons. I’d wanted to tell Laurel the veiled threat Walt’s staff overheard about taking both of our lives and destroying our babies in the process, but I didn’t. I couldn’t let her worry like that. I’d asked my father’s and her brother’s thoughts on the issue and promised I’d lay down my life before I let any harm come to her or the kids.
It was no surprise that they all agreed to keep her in the dark. They felt, like me, that the stress would be too much and she’d always be looking over her shoulder.
We’d received a couple of threatening letters early on after the wedding, but even they stopped coming, as of late. We knew Walt was short on cash and Chase was running scared, with the FBI still after both of them, but I didn’t want to let my guard down even for a moment. When you’re being hunted by a predator, they can take ages to find the perfect moment where they have you in a corner and you’ve let your guard down to strike. I wouldn’t be the prey for anyone, and definitely not these fuckwads!
Laurel’s pregnancy was proceeding without any problems, other than a few minor adjustments to her diet. Her belly was growing ripe with our children and to me, she was looking more beautiful every day. Plus, she was no longer my little minx in the bedroom, more like a tigress waiting to pounce any moment she could get me alone.
Hey, I’m not complaining. I loved how her hormones had kicked her into sexual overdrive. It made me want to have more children with her, just to keep her this insatiable.
The more the babies grew, I noticed the harder it was for her to feel comfortable when we slept. I often ended up as her body pillow, one arm wrapped around my chest, while one leg tangled with mine. I didn’t mind; I’d rather her use me than a stupid pillow.
We were approaching our final month of pregnancy and had been warned that with carrying multiples and having diabetes, the babies could make an early appearance, but the chances were slim. The babies were small in weight, but would be able to hold their own if they were born early.
We had taken a tour of the hospital and the birthing facilities a couple weeks back. We had hoped for a home birth, but given that her pregnancy was high risk, we were advised by her doctors to deliver at the hospital in the event of complications. Laurel already had her bag packed for the hospital and we had pre-registered, so there’d be no delays in getting her to a delivery room when the time came.
Laurel’s parents, her aunt and uncle, and Hannah were all here in Orlando now. We had a constant flux of people coming and going at the penthouse. Laurel had been reduced to wor
king half days and staying off her feet as much as possible, so the visits were most welcome to keep her mind off of things.
I hated that a last minute meeting popped up with a client that insisted either I visit their hospital in Atlanta and explain the workings of a new piece of neurological equipment to their doctors and board of directors, or they would pass on the deal, which was a very lucrative one. Who in their right mind demands a meeting on a Friday and right before the Easter weekend?
I’d almost decided to let the deal slide, because I didn’t like the idea of leaving Laurel during her final month of pregnancy for even one minute, but she encouraged me to go.
“I don’t want you losing any business on the account of me,” she explained. “I can work from home that day and have one of our family members keep us company, along with security and Deidre.”
Something kept nagging at me to cancel the trip, but I rationalized that it would only be an hour or so flight up and back, along with meeting time with the doctors. I could be home by the evening.
Jonathan was accompanying me, Thompson, and another member of security on our quick trip, since he had wonderful powers of persuasion with reluctant customers.
I’d just finished talking with Thompson to set everything up when Laurel walked in the room.
“So, are you going?” she asked.
“I still don’t feel right about this, with you approaching the last part of your pregnancy and the Petersons still on the loose.” No matter how hard I tried, something kept gnawing at me to cancel everything.
She came up and tried to hug me as best she could, with her stomach full and ripe with our twins. “Garrett, don’t be silly. You’ll only be gone for a few hours. Chase and his father haven’t bothered us in months. I’ll be perfectly fine.”
Learning to Love Again Page 17